Kevin
by onlygreyskiesabove
Summary: What would have happened in that cabin in the woods if Dana hadn't called the others to read from the journal? What if another item had been chosen? A slight AU story ( in that the storyline is different from the movie due to different monster) I'm giving it a high rating for content, I suppose. Enjoy!
1. The Cellar

**A/N- So I watched this movie last night and I loved it so much. I'm surprised there isn't more fanfiction considering all of the possibilities that the movie gave! So this is my story, please enjoy. I'm hoping more will come so review and give me ideas if you have the time :)**

The five students stood in the cellar, observing the strange collection of toys they'd found. Marty ran the reels of camera footage through his fingers, straining his eyes to see the small sepia images in the dim light. Unable to make out the figures- unsure if it was the lighting, or the seemingly heavy effect he was getting from the joint he'd been smoking only moments ago, Marty sought out a projector to view the reels on.

Dana ran her fingers lightly over the white painted masks that lay in a pile on the side of the room as she made her way over to a dust covered vanity. In the background she could faintly hear the sound of a music box playing in the background. Dana's fingers traced across the old, time worn leather book placed carefully on the vanity, her fingers picking up dust. Opening the book she discovered a hand-written journal that must have belonged to a young girl, from the way the writing looked.

Holden had found a small, white music box decorated plainly. The simplicity of the object reminded him of something his grandmother had used to own. Running his fingers along the bottom of the box, he found the knob and began winding it up. Upon opening it, a familiar tune began to play- something that reminded him of his childhood. Could it be? Was this the same music box his grandmother had once owned? The small ballerina girl twirled away in front of Holden's eyes.

Curt picked up a large conch shell, nearly the size of his head, putting his lips towards the small opening on the end of it. Memories from his childhood, swimming by the ocean with his dad came back to him. His eyes gazed around the room, looking past Holden who seemed mesmerized by the minuscule ballerina twirling in her music box. Spotting a large golden ball, he set down the conch shell. Curt walked towards it, picking the sphere up to find it very similar to a Rubik's Cube. His hands began to twirl the rotating layers around, attempting to match some of the markings up on the sides.

Jules ran her hands over a silk shawl, picking it up and shaking it off, dust flying. Coughing, she set the fabric down again and grabbing the bundled up twigs in the jar behind the shawl. Wondering what kind of wood they were she examined the twigs closely, unable to identify them. Frustrated, she set the twigs down. That's when she saw it. A mannequin stood in the corner of the room, robed in the most beautiful dress Jules had ever seen. She gasped for a moment as she took in the gown. The white lace with sparkling jewels decorating the bodice of the dress would have given away its purpose as a wedding gown if it hadn't been for the veil that fell down the back of the mannequin. She pulled back the smooth white veil to reveal a very large, very blue jeweled necklace. _Something old, something new, something borrowed something blue." _The old rhyme rang through Jules's head as she removed the necklace from the mannequin. It seemed lighter than it should have been, and in the dim light from Marty's lamp, the necklace changed colors she began putting her around her neck.

Every person in the room jumped as a loud bang resonated through the cellar, followed by a blinding flash of light. The flicker of a tape could be heard as Marty stumbled away from the projector he'd found. A family moved around on the screen behind him, two children playing on a swing set. A teenage boy sat at the side of the sepia screen reading.

"What the hell Marty? Are you trying to give us all heart attacks?" Curt walked over to the projector and began to watch the film. Marty stood beside him as Dana and Jules placed their items back where'd they'd found them, unsure of what had attracted them at first. Dana had found the journal disturbing in the first place, and Jules found the necklace to be rather unattractive at second glance, she realized as she ducked under Curt's arm. Holden closed the music box before the final, familiar chords rang out and joined the others, mindful of the fact that Dana stood in front of him.

_"Come on Victor, put that silly camera away!" _A beautiful woman appeared on the screen, giving the camera person, apparently named Victor, a stern look.

_"Sophia, how else are we supposed to document such a lovely summer day? And a special one at that! It's our Kevin's 18th birthday, he's a man now!" _The boy off to the side looked up quickly as his name was said. Smiling slightly he put down his book and stood up.

"Well he's quite attractive for an old man." Jules joked as Curt leaned down and nibbled on her neck. "I mean, for someone who lived when they dressed like _that,_ he's cute. Right Dana?" She looked to her friend for support. Dana nodded slightly. She had a bad feeling about this. There was something off about Kevin's smile. The things she'd read in that diary had put her on edge. There was no way she was sleeping tonight.

_"Kevin! Why don't you open up your first present for the camera." _The woman's voice interrupted Dana's thought process and made her jump. Marty, who was standing next to her glanced over suspiciously.

"Something wrong Dana? Can you feel it to?" He whispered to Dana who shook her head. Dismissing Marty's 'feeling' as a side effect of the pot, she brought her gaze back up to the screen.

Kevin had been sat in front of the camera which had been placed on something as it continued to film. Victor had joined Sophia and Kevin along with the two children, a boy and a girl, and the group was sitting on the grass in front of the swing set, a large box in front of them. Kevin smiled at the box, slowly peeling the paper covering away. The screen flickered slightly as the scene changed. The location stayed the same but something was different. Dana gasped and Marty's hand found hers. Jules let out a small scream as she saw the change. Four of the five family members lay limply on the ground surrounding the opened present box. Victor, the father, stirred and tried to get up but a quick blur of black slammed into him and he collapsed onto the ground once more. The blur was Kevin, who picked up his father by his feet and started dragging him towards the camera, a small grin on his face. The most disturbing part of it all? Kevin looked happy as he did it. Reaching into his pocket, the boy on the screen pulled out a knife, dropping his father's feet and repositioning himself at his head. Dana looked away as the boy grabbed his father's hair. A cry from both behind her, and from the screen assured her that she'd been right not to look. Screams of pain floated from the movie as member after member of the family shared the same fate as their father. Burying herself in Holden's shirt, she shielded herself from the horrific images on screen. Marty let go of her hand after a final squeeze and a few moments later the sound of screams subsided. The five of them turned once more to the blank screen as if trying to figure out if what they'd seen was real. Glancing around at each other's pale expressions confirmed the reality of the situation. All of them had just shared an experience they'd never thought they would. The light flickered on again and before Marty could stop it again, the image of Kevin tossing his younger sister's head at the screen with that calm smile on his face was burned into their minds. For what seemed like an eternity, there was silence in the cellar.

"Why don't we go upstairs? I'll get us some beer and we can continue our game of truth or dare?" Curt tried to lighten the mood unsuccessfully. They all did decide to go upstairs though, attempting to escape the dark mood that had fallen on them.

* * *

Somewhere far in the distance, a young man dressed in black, sat perched in the high branch of a tree, staring up at the nearly empty night sky. The summer wind blew around him, stirring the trees but he wasn't afraid. The moonlight reflected in his glasses. _Finally. _He'd been cooped up for so long, watching as the others got their turn year after year. No one ever chose the films. Not when there were more interesting items available. He'd enjoyed making them though. For too long his parents had underestimated him. Then giving him _that _for his birthday. It had been as if they were mocking him. No one was mocking him now. His brother and sister of course, he'd been doing them a favour. Watching your mother and father being dismembered- that wasn't something a child should have to live with.

He nimbly climbed down from his perch, whistling as he made his way back down to the ground. Picking up his knives from the ground, he made sure they all shined in the light of the moon. All five of the knives- one for each target. He didn't need anything else. His knives were part of him- an extension of his arm. Packed up on his belt he began to walk towards the cabin. He'd make his Masters proud.

Now it was his time to shine again. Show the world he wasn't the weak, good for nothing they thought he was. His name would invoke terror in all that heard it, their dying words, ringing out in the darkness. _Kevin..._

* * *

Ronald the Intern put his face in his hands. A roar of outrage came from Maintenance. It was a well-known fact that Maintenance won every year. Not this year though. Kevin, the sadistic boy wasn't a popular choice among the monsters created, judging by the lack of voting for him. In fact, no one had bet on him in years. It seemed that no one who was chosen knew how to work a projector anymore. Of course the burnout stoner would figure it out.

The rest of the betting group shared in Ronald the Intern's disappointment. Sitterson's voice carried over the loud ruckus that had grown in response. "Everyone calm down!" Sitterson had always had an authoritative nature to him. It seemed that people listened. "Kevin may not seem like the best choice for this task. But trust me when I say he'll get the job done. I've seen the kid in action. He'll leave them more dead than you've ever seen a body when he's through with him. Now, you all have jobs to do. Get on with it!" The crowd dispersed as Hadley joined him at the control station.

"I wish I'd get to see a Merman for once. I mean, this Kevin kid seems interesting at all, but year after year, and I still haven't gotten to see a Merman."


	2. The Dance

Ch. 2

Marty sat in his chair as Jules blasted the music. Taking a drag from the joint in his hand and rolling his eyes as she danced provocatively around the room, Marty couldn't help but wonder why Jules was acting the way she was. He'd blame it on the alcohol if he hadn't seen her drunk before. And Marty had seen Jules wasted. He'd seen her so drunk that he had to hold her back as she puked, and kept the assholes who'd noticed the fact that she'd filled out in the summer before her senior year away from her.

Jules was not herself. Tuning back into the real world, he found Jules kneeling in front of Holden who, despite his predetermined intentions of getting together with Dana- which he'd discovered by listening in on a conversation between Curt and Holden themselves at the pit stop they'd made for snacks- was looking at her in a way that told Marty he wasn't thinking about Dana. Marty took another drag as Jules hands ran up and down Holden's legs. Curt cheered her on in the background, obviously not concerned that it wasn't him that his girlfriend was coming on to.

"Classy." The words were out of his mouth before he could stop them. Not that he regretted saying them. Judging by the look on Dana's face, he wasn't the only one who'd been uncomfortable watching the events that had been going down. Marty just hoped Jules wouldn't be mad that he'd interrupted her fun.

"Come on! Like you wouldn't want a piece of that." Curt, beer in his hand, motioned towards Jules, who'd started dancing towards Marty. _Pieces. _That struck a nerve in Marty that nearly cleared his mind.

"Can we not talk about people in pieces anymore tonight?" Marty took another drag to wipe the image from his mind. It wasn't hard though- Jules had gotten rather close.

"Oh, are you feeling lonely Marty?" She knelt down in front of Marty like she had with Holden. Looking around quickly to make sure she had audience, she leaned in closer to him. "Marty and I were sweeties in our freshman hall." It took all of Marty's self-control not to laugh. His memory was rather shot in most cases, but the short love affair between Marty Mikalski and Jules Louden was one thing he remembered rather clearly.

It was one of those night Jules had gotten dumped. Fulfilling his usual role of comforting friend, Marty found himself seated on a couch with Jules tucked under his arm, sobbing into one of his good shirts. He couldn't count the amount of times he'd found himself in this position since they'd become friends in their first year of high school. He'd liked at first, but who hadn't? Getting to know her, Marty had realized that she wasn't his type- not that she wasn't nice. He just liked the shy type better; they were less likely to get into trouble with a shy girl. It was no surprise to Marty when he developed feelings for Dana Polk- Jules' best friend. The fact that he no longer had feelings for Jules didn't change the fact that he was willing to do anything for Jules to make her happy again. So he found himself promising to marry Jules between kisses, making her smile again.

He didn't even think she remembered that though. "We made out once. I never did buy that ring." Jules got up close as Marty stared at her. She'd looked so much better back then as well, with her brown hair. Much better than the blonde she had now.

"But we're still close." Jules started dancing again, moving farther away towards the fireplace again. Her movement reminded Marty of a marionette doll, arms swaying as she dipped and rose again. Curt seemed mesmerized by his girlfriend's movements. In the time that he had come to know Curt, Marty had learned that Curt was not your typical jock. Smarter than the rest of the college football team, Curt managed to attend all of his advanced classes as well as every single practice, all while managing to stay polite and happy with everyone, willing to sacrifice anything for the happiness of his friends. Curt was the epitome of a perfect person- always respectful to Jules, which is why Marty and he had become friends. It was also the reason why he was suspicious. Neither Curt nor Jules were acting like their usual selves. Curt seemed like the rest of the assholes on the football team, and Jules- even at her most drunk, single state- never acted this bad.

"I have a theory about all of this." Marty spoke out to his friends after taking another drag. Curt interrupted before he could explain further.

"That's time to bale. Tom Chung here has a theory." Moving over to Jules and ignoring the questioning glances his friends were shooting him, he grabbed Jules' hand. "C'mon baby!" Curt turned to Marty once more. "Go on… you can uh… you can tell it to egghead here, if he's not too busy de-virginizing Dana." Upon mention of her name, Dana's face reddened. Marty could tell that Dana wasn't very appreciative about the whole "hooking up with Holden," thing that Jules and Curt was pressing on her. Just like Curt was pushing Jules out of the cabin door. Dana called out to her friend.

"Jules… do you wanna go lie down?" Jules looked like she was going to respond but shook her head. Curt answered for her.

"That's exactly the point" His beer cup spilled a bit as he walked out the door telling Jules to hurry up, leaving the door wide open in his rush to get out.

Marty got up out of his chair, having finished his current joint. "Do you seriously believe nothing weird is going on?" Forcing Jules out of the cabin and into the woods was even more proof of his theory. Holden- who he'd never really met- wouldn't understand his theories, Dana however, might. He approached her as she closed the door.

"What do you mean?" Dana shot him a questioning look as she walked towards him crossing her arms.

"The way everybody is acting. Why is Jules suddenly a celebutante? And since when does Curt pull this alpha male bullshit? I mean, he's a sociology major, he's on full academic scholarship and now he's calling his friend an egghead?" Dana seemed to consider it for a moment and then shook her head.

"Curt's just drunk."

"I've seen Curt drunk. Jules too."

"Well maybe it's just something else." Dana looked down at his hand, where he held his joint. Marty shook his head. He'd hoped Dana would understand what he was trying to say. Thinking hard, he tried to put it into words.

"You're not seeing what you don't want to see." He thought back to Jules dancing in front of the fire. "Puppeteers."

"Puppeteers?" Dana moved in closer.

Marty was lost again in a cloud of pot-induced haze. "Pop Tarts?" He realized how hungry he was. "Did you say Pop Tarts?"

Dana laughed for a bit, and then looked at Marty with concern. "Marty, I love you, but you're really high." Dana walked back towards the couch where Holden was sitting, holding a textbook.  
A single thought drifted through the haze. "We are not who we are…." Dana looked back for a moment. "I'm going to go read a book with pictures." Marty was glad he'd brought his book with him.

* * *

Kevin watched as the couple left the cabin. The Whore first- that was one of the rules he had to follow. That was an easy death; she and the Athlete were both drunk beyond belief already. There was no challenge in the first one. They always stumbled into the forest, drunk beyond belief and not cautious in any way. The timing was the key though, so he watched the couple from the shadows, waiting. It took more manipulations to get the couple how they were supposed to be this time. The Athlete knelt on the ground near the Whore as he removed his shirt- the opportune moment. Before either knew what happened, Kevin had thrown a knife that found itself in the Whore's temple. The Athlete had managed to remove his shirt only to find his girlfriend dead. Kevin smiled to himself, enjoying the look of horror on the Athlete's face, hearing the yells of terror, screaming out "JULES!" Finally, looking around at his surroundings, the Athlete realized that the culprit was most likely still there. This was when Kevin had most of his fun.

Stepping into the light of the meadow, Kevin drew his second knife. A moment later the Athlete noticed him and jumped up unsteadily. Pointing at Kevin, the larger man charged. Kevin easily sidestepped the attack and raised his knife to arm level. The Athlete nearly screamed at the pain as the knife slid through his skin. Deeper than he'd intended, Kevin adjusted his glasses as the man gazed in horror at the scene before him, bleeding heavily from his arm as he did. Kevin hoped that he wouldn't die from blood loss. That would ruin his fun. Debating telling him to run for it, Kevin turned to the dead Whore. The Athlete was probably too afraid to move. It was time for the best part. Removing the knife from her temple, Kevin crouched down near her limp body, placing the knife on her neck.

"Don't touch her!" The Athlete seemed to have come out of shock. Glancing up, Kevin found the Athlete, wide eyed as he started walking towards him probably aiming to defend his fallen girlfriend. How romantic.

"It's too late to do anything, you oaf. There isn't anything you can do about her. You might as well let me have my fun, and then I'll be off. Now just sit quietly and don't disturb me." Kevin wasn't stupid. He knew that the Athlete wouldn't do as he was told after being provoked so blatantly. So he was ready when the large man attacked again, still unsteady on his feet. Kevin ducked and the Athlete tripped over him, falling to the ground face-first and knocking himself out. He wasn't getting up from that anytime soon, but just to be safe Kevin slit his throat as well. Staring at the large mass of body on the ground, Kevin felt a twinge of regret. He had a strange feeling that the Athlete would have been fun to mess around with. The first two sacrifices gone; now it was time for Kevin to enjoy himself. Taking the knife he'd set down on the Whore, he grabbed her arm and started sawing.

* * *

Hadley and Sitterson sat safe in their office as Jules was killed. Looking at Hadley, Sitterson nodded, bowed his head, and began to speak. "This we offer in humility and fear. For the blessed peace of your eternal slumber. As it ever was." Hadley bowed his head and repeated Sitterson's last words. Getting up, Hadley walked over to a large wooden panel and opened it up to reveal a lever. Glancing one more time at the screen that showed Jules' and Curt's dead bodies, he pulled the lever, followed by the one next to it. The screen zoomed in on Kevin finishing his job.

"It's almost an art for him, isn't?" Hadley rejoined Sitterson by the control panels.

"It is. The kid is twisted. You've seen his video right? Those were his family. These people mean nothing to him. His only relationship with them is to kill them. No emotional attachment. The last time he was chosen, the Virgin was strung up and tortured in the basement until dawn when he killed her. That's something you can't forget." Sitterson shuddered and turned back to the screen.


	3. The Visitor

A/N- Apologies for taking so long, it's time for me to write my diplomas and I've been buried in books and have been unable to write. Here's chapter three, enjoy!

Dana and Holden sat on the couch, swapping stories about their pasts. Holden was grateful for the kind company Dana provided. As the only unfamiliar face in the cabin that weekend, he'd worried about not fitting in. Dana was excellent company- fun to talk with and easy on the eyes. Holden was happy not to be alone after the event in the cellar. So they sat, drinking beers and talking about other things, trying to forget what they'd seen. And it had started to work. The memory of the boy on the film was just a thought in the back of their minds, fading away as the night went on.

As Dana talked about her art class, Holden watched her. There was something off about her. Holden was good at reading people, and could tell Dana was hiding something.

"Marty and I took that class together last year. Well I think we did. Mostly Marty sat there, stoned out of his mind and handed in half the assignments. I'm surprised he even passed art." Holden nodded as she spoke. Dana's eyes had gone a little fuzzy as if she were lost in thought.

"So you two are close?" She looked up at him in surprise.

"Who?" Holden smiled at Dana. It was obvious that her mind wasn't on art class with Marty.

"Marty, of course." With a moment of courage, he grabbed Dana's hand. "Are you alright?" Her eyes went wide at the contact. Nodding slowly, she grabbed her beer can with her free hand and took a long sip.

"Oh yeah, we're been friends since we were kids." The firelight danced in her eyes as she met his gaze again. "Although lately there's been something off about him and I can't really tell what it is. Maybe it's the pot." She laughed slightly as she turned to watch the fire. Tilting her head as if in thought, Dana spoke softly. "Holden, can I ask you something?" Holden hesitated, unsure of what was coming.

"Sure. Go ahead." His hand was still holding hers, and he could feel her tighten her grip.

"This may seem cliché, but I have to ask. Do you think I'm pretty?" She was drunk and it was obvious what her intentions were. But Holden could tell that whatever Dana had been hiding earlier had something to do with it.

"Of course Dana- who wouldn't?" It wasn't a lie either. He'd seen prettier girls, but Dana wasn't ugly in any way. She turned to face Holden, and leaned in. Next thing he knew, she was kissing him and he was kissing back. His hand slid from her hand onto her leg, and the other one reached up to hold her face. Holden knew he had to stop this. She was drunk and wasn't in her right mind. He knew better than to take advantage of a girl. Pulling away, he looked at her. She gazed back at him, eyes focused. She didn't seem drunk. At least not as drunk as he'd thought she'd been.

"What is it? Oh god, did you not want to…?" Dana started to freak out and Holden put his hand on her face again.

"No, Dana I just wanted to be sure that you actually wanted to?" She nodded, leaned in again, and they continued on, not hearing the knock at the cabin door.

"I'll get it." The two jumped up at the sound of Marty, trudging out of his room to answer the knock. "Since you two seem to be busy." There was what seemed like a bitter edge to his voice as he moved past them.

Somewhere in the back of his mind, something told Holden to stop Marty. But even though he wasn't as out of his mind as Marty or Dana, he pushed it aside as paranoia. What could happen out in the middle of nowhere? It was probably Curt coming back anyways.

The door swung open to reveal a young man dressed in all black, his face shadowed except for the light reflecting in his large glasses. There was something about him that seemed oddly familiar, although Holden knew they'd never met before. Even as he stepped into the light, Holden couldn't figure it out.

The man looked at the three residents of the cabin and grinned slightly. "Hello," he began. "Well, my car broke down a little way back and I saw this road and thought I could find somebody that could help me out?"

Marty stared at the man. "You mean you walked all this way in the dark? The main road is really far."

The man shrugged slightly. "I guess I did. This cabin is rather hidden away isn't it, quite a distance from anything else? Anyways, would any of you be able to help me out? I understand it's late and my car is far. I can just walk back if-"

Dana interrupted the stranger. "I guess Curt would be able to help with that the best, wouldn't he? He's not here though right now."

Holden caught a glimpse of something flash over the man's face as Dana spoke, but was unable to place what it was.

"Do you know when he'd be back? I have somewhere to be in the morning; otherwise I wouldn't be bothering you." The man smiled again.

Marty frowned at the man, squinting. "What did you say your name was?"

"How rude of me, I didn't. My name is Kevin." Holden felt a tug at the back of his head as if something had fallen into place in his memory, but a moment later it was gone again.

"Well Kevin," he started. "Why don't you come in and have a drink while we wait for Curt to come back?"

Kevin smiled and nodded as Holden grabbed a coke from the fridge.

* * *

Hadley sat at the control panel and leaned back in his seat. "There we go. This year we have it in the bag. Kevin's in the house and all three tributes aren't thinking. Should we call Japan and tell them to take the weekend off?"

Sitterson took a deep breath. "What else would they do? Relax?" He paused for a moment as Hadley laughed. Taking a sip of coffee that had been brought to him, Sitterson stared darkly at the screen that revealed the four people currently in the cabin, sitting on couches chatting softly. "No," he continued with his eyes glued to the image. "Kevin may be good at his job but he can get carried away with his games. We need Japan for backup."

* * *

Kevin sat by the warm fire for the first time in years. Compared to the dark, enclosed space that he was used to, Kevin felt free. It was relaxing enough for him to take a good look at his next three targets. The Fool, the Scholar, and the Virgin. He'd wished the people downstairs hadn't incapacitated them as much as they had, but they did what was necessary. _Maybe_, he thought to himself, _I could wait until they went to sleep then he could strike. _He had until morning, and it was more enjoyable when they were sober- more of a challenge.

They were waiting for Curt- Kevin assumed that meant the Athlete, which meant he wasn't coming back.

"So where were you heading Kevin?" The Fool spoke to him in a suspicious tone. It was obvious that Kevin wasn't trusted by everyone. The people downstairs hadn't done their job as well as they'd thought. The Fool stared at him, expecting an answer. He raked his fingers through his hair as he answered.

"Over to the next town to visit my cousin. She was expecting me by morning. I guess that won't be happening now. Even if your friend comes back soon we'd have to walk all the way back in the dark. He'll be tired. I wouldn't want to bother him." The Virgin spoke up, falling for his trick.

"Well we've got an extra room if you needed somewhere to stay for the night." The Fool began to protest her suggestion.

"Dana!" He cried in surprise. "We barely know the guy!" Kevin nodded.

"He's right Dana, you don't know me, and I've only just shown up. It would be smarter for me to sleep outside. Thank you for the offer though. I wouldn't want to impose." The Virgin glared at the Fool.

"C'mon Marty, don't be such an ass. It's not like Kevin is a serial killer who's come to kill us all in our sleep." The Virgin smiled at Kevin politely as he grinned, feeling the weight of the knife pack underneath his black coat. If she only knew there was a knife in there for her. "You can sleep in here. It's chilly out there, and we've got an extra bed. You're right; Curt isn't going to be much help tonight. Your cousin will just have to wait a while longer for you to get there."

Kevin finally accepted the invitation, almost laughing to himself. _It was almost too easy._


	4. Clear

The fire had died down low. Even though Marty was sitting in the room with three other people, he was only focused on one. _Kevin. _The name tugged at the back of his mind, but no matter how hard he tried to remember, Marty couldn't quite remember what he'd forgotten. He pulled a new joint from behind his ear.

"Really Marty? Another joint? You need to cut down. This can't be healthy for you." Dana's words had become less slurred than they had been earlier. As Marty shrugged, he took a long drag from his newly lit-up joint. He was surprised to find his mind actually felt clearer than it had a moment before.

_Kevin. "Kevin! Why don't you open up your first present for the camera." _ The image of a severed head bouncing across a screen flashed across Marty's mind.

"Jesus!" Marty almost jumped out of his chair as he looked at their guest. "It's you! You're the sick bastard from the video!" Finger pointed at Kevin, Marty started to back away towards the couch. Holden stood up and grabbed Marty's shoulders.

"C'mon man. You're too high to even know what you're saying." He turned Marty towards the back rooms and turned back to Kevin. "I'm sorry man, Marty's a strange one." Marty broke free from Holden's grip.

"No! No! No! No man, you're the one who doesn't know. This guy is the guy from the video! It's so easy to see! Wake up!" He started snapping his fingers in front of Holden's face. Dana got up from the couch and grabbed Marty's arm.

"Marty, honey. You need to get some sleep. Here, I'll help you to bed." He gave Holden an apologetic look as she grabbed the joint from Marty's' hand. Holden returned to his seat on the couch and apologized to Kevin.

"Oh, it's fine. I don't mind. I don't know what he's talking about though."

Holden didn't notice the glint in Kevin's eyes as he explained the incident in the cellar. He also didn't notice as Kevin began to reach into his pocket, running his finger along one of the silver knives. He didn't know that as he spoke, Kevin felt the words "_The Scholar_" written on the blade. Kevin didn't know how close Kevin was to drawing that blade.

"I don't want any of it Marty. I'm putting this joint out and you can start again once you're thinking clearly." Dana took hold of the joint and moved it towards the ashtray. Marty moved quickly and grabbed her wrist.

"Dana. I'm thinking clearly. There was something wrong with my weed earlier. I was out of it, my joint- the one in your hand. I rolled that right before I left my house. It never left my pocket until just now. It cleared my mind. Dana, please. Look into my eyes and see if I'm stoned. Just do it quick. Holden is out there right now with that psycho. He could be dead already."

"Marty, don't be silly. Holden is perfectly fine. Now let go of my wrist Marty. It's time for bed." Marty grabbed the joint and took in a big breath. "Oh my god Marty, that's enou-" She was interrupted by Marty's mouth. She felt the smoke in her lungs as he exhaled into her. She expected her head to start spinning like it did the occasional time she tried weed. But it didn't. Marty brought his hand up to her face.

Dana ripped away from Marty, realizing her mistake. "Oh my god Marty…" she spoke it quietly this time instead of the anger from the last. Marty's hand remained in the air for a second longer, then dropped down to his side as his face turned red. He shot her a smug grin, then ran out the door, Dana following. "HOLDEN!"

Kevin ran his finger along the flat edge of the knife. "So how often does Marty have these problems? He seems pretty convinced that he was right."

The Scholar was quick to answer. "Oh, I'm not really the most familiar with these guys. Curt invited me. I'm just meeting these guys for the first time this weekend." The Scholar leaned back in his seat and closed his eyes for a moment. Kevin slid the knife out of its sheath. This Scholar seemed more muscular than the last. It might be better to just end it now. Or at least incapacitate him. The Scholar didn't open his eyes as he got closer. Kevin heard a noise from the hallway and struck quickly. He felt the tearing of flesh as the knife cut through the flesh of The Scholar's arm. Kevin couldn't help but smile at the sight of pain on his victims' face. That's when he felt pain himself, and the room started to spin. Kevin lost his balance and tumbled to the floor as his head cracked.

He heard The Virgin call out to The Scholar as The Fool, who was very close to Kevin, told them to run. His vision cleared and he looked up to see The Fool standing above him, a large silver club-like mug in his hand. The makeshift club had blood on it. Reaching up, Kevin felt a hot sticky substance and screamed. It had been a long time since Kevin had seen his sown blood. He wasn't screaming out of fear or pain though- Kevin was angry. And The Fool, along with the others, had gone.

Fools had gotten stronger since Kevin had last been out to play. This was proving more difficult than usual. It wasn't a problem though. This was going to be just as fun as the first time. Kevin picked himself up off the ground and wiped his head. There was still some pain, but thanks to the chemical changes the scientists downstairs had done to him he was able to heal faster than normal.

Kevin stepped out onto the front porch and once again stared out at the moon. The night was still young and he was just getting started.

"Oh yes," Remarked Hadley. "We have no need to worry. Kevin will get the job done." He turned his chair around to look at Sitterson, who was making a coffee.

"It's not over yet. And besides, that isn't his fault. The Chem department obviously missed something. Keep faith in the little guy." Sitterson went back to his chair and sat down, placing his mug on the control panel.

"It doesn't matter who's fault it is! This division hasn't messed up in a long time. We can't have him fail. " Sitterson could hear the worry in Hadley's voice. He'd always been the calmer of the two- Hadley was very nervous when under stress. It was Sitterson's job to calm him down.

"He won't fail. The night isn't done yet, and they've just made him angry. It's all a game when Kevin's happy. The minute he loses thought of the game is when it gets interesting. And it's only The Fool and The Virgin. We only _need _one more death." Sitterson took a sip of his coffee. "So sit back and relax, Hadley. Enjoy the show."

Holden was losing blood. Lots of it. And fast. Marty and Dana, who were supporting him as they retreated through the forest, were covered in it. They couldn't make it far with Holden's dead weight. His voice was weak when he spoke. "Guys… put… me down…." Dana and Marty looked at each other and then set him up against a tree. Marty ripped a strip of cloth from his shirt and wrapped it around Holden's cut. "Don't bother man. I'm done. I've lost too much blood. Just look at you guys. There's more of it on you than there is in me. Just leave me man. I'll pass out. I need you guys to stay calm and get help. Get back to the main road, or try and find Curt and Jules. No matter what, you need to stay safe. That freak is a… psycho. You saw what he did on the tape. Don't let him get to you, okay?" Holden's voice was slowly getting quieter, and there was a painful rasp in it. "You guys… gotta get… away." His eyes began to droop and his head was bobbing. The cloth Marty had wrapped around his arm was soaked through. Dana shivered as a cold wind blew. She was trying hard not to cry. Despite not knowing him long, she'd enjoyed Holden's company. And there was something so surreal about what was happening. When did a murderer come into a house and pretend to be their friend? A murderer who didn't look any older now than he did in that film? That only happened in movies. And why hadn't she recognized him right away? It wasn't like she could get the image of his face out of her mind. He had an unforgettable face- attractive, with a dark, sinister hint to it. Marty grabbed Dana's hand and they sat down on the cold ground.

"We will stay with you Holden. You don't deserve to die alone." Dana's voice caught as she spoke.

So they sat in the darkness and waited.

**A/N- I am so so so sorry it took so long. And I'm sorry I had to kill Holden, but I gave him a better death than he got in the movie, right? Choosing to die? I know there were a few of you that wanted Dana and Holden to get together, but I always picture it as DanaxMarty. Not that this is a romance story. I'm all about the blood and death. **


	5. Puppeteers

**AN: I'm so sorry this took so long to update. I just graduated, and went on a band tour down to the states, then my parents took the laptop I had everything saved on so I had to come up with this from scratch. Please forgive me, hopefully I can finish this one soon. I'm getting close to the ending. Enjoy.**

Ch. 5 Puppeteers

Kevin happened upon the body before it had even gone cold. The Scholar sat propped up against a tree, his jeans soaked in a pool of his own blood. Kevin cursed under his breath at the ease it had taken. It was supposed to be his time to have fun but these stupid, _stupid, _people were taking that away from him. The Whore and The Athlete had been alright- for a warm up at least. He would have liked to mess around with The Athlete some more, but it had been logical to end it quickly. After those two was when he had some real fun. Kevin thought back to the last Scholar he had killed. He had forced The Virgin to watch as he'd cut bits and pieces from the tie-dyed hippie's body. It almost gave him a pleasant, nostalgic feel as he recollected the event. Years later though, after all that time in the box, Kevin merely felt a slightly warm tingle in his body trying to push it's way out in the cold night air.

Bringing his attention back to the wasted body in front of him, Kevin pondered what could be done to try and salvage the mess. Grabbing the knife labeled "_The Scholar_," he walked towards the limp body and got to work.

* * *

"We won't get far on foot." Dana walked a few steps behind Marty, constantly looking around at the forest around them. The moon was high and bright as darker clouds floated by in the sky. The light was both comforting and frightening at the same time. Marty stopped and let her catch up. They had to keep moving.

"We have to try and stay positive Dana."

"How the hell can we stay positive Marty? You saw what happened back there, right? Are you still stoned out of your mind?" Marty gave Dana an offended look.

"I very well might be! But you seem to have forgotten who saved your ass back there! If it weren't for me we'd most likely be in the same predicament as the others!"

"We don't know if Curt and Jules are-" her words got caught in her throat as she tried to speak. Marty's face softened as he saw her.

"I didn't mean it that way Dana. We can keep looking for them. They could still be out here. It would be easier to find them if we had Curt's RV."

"No way. We aren't going back to the cabin. If I were that freak, that'd be the first place I'd check." Marty nodded as Dana folded her arms and stared at the ground. Her hair was matted onto her face and there was blood covering her sleeves. "Oh god this is horrible Marty. What the hell is happening to us?" A soft, cold breeze made her shiver ever so slightly. Pulling his sweater over his head, he tossed it to her.

"We will figure this out Dana. For now we have to keep moving though. For Holden. We promised right? I've got your back." Marty put his arm around Dana's shoulders once the sweater was on. "I've got you.

* * *

Sitterson took a sip of his lukewarm coffee and put his feet up on the control board. "We have to get them back to the Cabin. Then we can direct Kevin back as well and the game is won."

"You know Kevin won't like the help. He likes to do it all on his own." Hadley "Besides. When they hit the barrier, they'll have no choice but to head back. They'll try to get the RV like The Fool suggested."

Sitterson nodded in agreement. "I'm just glad they didn't start off towards the canyon. That would be a tough one to recover from."

Hadley was silent for a moment, and then spoke up again. "Can't we have some fun with this though? I'd feel a bit better if I knew they were at least running in the right direction after they hit the barrier.

Sitterson sighed and rubbed his temples for a moment. "Okay- I'll think of something."

* * *

Marty didn't see the root sticking out of the ground. Dana did, but it was too late to say anything by the time she realized.

So instead, Marty flew headfirst into the invisible barrier in front of him with a cry. "What the fuck was that?" Marty whispered to Dana as she kneeled in front of him on the ground.

Dana touched his head where it had collided with the barrier. "I've got no clue, but I think we should find out." She stood up and put her hand out in front of her. Walking forwards, it hit something and the area around her hand turned blue. Turning back to face Marty where he still sat on the ground, she whispered to him. "It's some kind of Barrier."

Marty rubbed his forehead, which had already started to bruise. "Why the hell would there be a barrier out in the middle of a freaking forest?"

Dana shrugged as she moved to the left, keeping her hand on the barrier. "It's like we're in some kind of sci-fi movie Marty. Some kind of freaky, real life sci-fi horror movie. What kind of sick people would do this?"

"How could someone do this? Barriers like this don't exist in reality. Maybe we're part of a government experiment gone wrong?" Marty got up and ran his hand along the barrier in the other direction. "What the fuck…" He trailed off to himself.

"You really think the government would agree to let five people get killed by a maniac inside of a giant cage?" Dana walked back towards Marty.

"If they had a good enough reason maybe. But anyways- this isn't a government experiment. That was a stupid idea. But you have to agree with me. Some sick shit is going on."

Dana nodded and stared up at the sky. They were silent for a moment. "This doesn't leave us with many options, and every minute we spend here, Kevin could be catching up to us. We can either follow this barrier or try and get back to the Cabin and hope Kevin isn't waiting for us there. I'd vote for the barrier. That way if Kevin is following us, we might have a chance at going to other way once he hits the barrier."

"I think that's a good idea. So, which way?"

"Want to try left?" Dana grabbed Marty's hand and started to walk.

* * *

"Do you hear that Dana?" Marty stopped for a moment. Dana could hear the sound of a faint buzzing in the distance. "Can you fear the bees as well? Or did I hit my head harder than I thought back there?"

"No, I can definitely hear them. And it sounds like they're getting closer." Marty could hear the noise growing louder.

"I think that means we are supposed to run." Dana took off with Marty close behind her. Leaping over tree roots and ducking under low hanging branches. Even as they were running, they could hear the buzz getting closer. With longer legs, Marty managed to get in front of Dana.

"It's chasing us back the way we came from! We're heading back towards the cabin!" Dana managed to yell at Marty as she ran.

"This can't be a-" Marty ducked under a branch and almost lost his balance "-coincidence!" The swarm was almost on them, and Marty slowed down just a little so Dana was in front of him. That's when he lunged, grabbing Dana as he fell to the side of the path they had been running on. The buzzing quieted down instantly as they tumbled into a ditch.

Dana and Marty landed in a tangle of legs and arms at the bottom of the ditch.

"That swarm came out of nowhere! Did you even see a nest?" Marty picked himself off the ground and sat on the side of the ditch.

"No. And I think you were right about it not being a coincidence it chased us back to the cabin. It makes no sense, and I don't know how it's happening, but I think something was controlling them." Dana was silent for a moment as she walked over beside Marty and sat down, picking bark and leaves out of her hair. "Controlling us…. Marty, what was it that you said about puppeteers earlier? Back when I was trying to get you to get to bed? How no one was acting the way they were supposed to. And that I wasn't seeing what I didn't want to see? Puppeteers. You were right. There's someone out there, watching us, like in one of your conspiracy theories. Just this one is real, isn't it?"

Marty sat there, pondering what Dana had said. Then, he stood up abruptly. "FUCKING PUPPETS!" He yelled into the sky. "They've got us hooked up to strings like bloody freaking puppets, dancing around to a song we can't hear."

"Marty you have to calm down. We're really close to the cabin. I don't want to risk being heard. We could make it to the RV if we were quick. I think Curt left the keys in there. I'd feel safer. It might even be worth it."

"Or, Big Brother could send something worse than bees to get us back. Maybe they'll get tired of us and kill us." He walked over and sat down next to Dana again.

"I think it's worth the shot. What else are we going to do? Sit here and hope Kevin gets bored? Wait till sunrise and see if he disappears?" She put her head on Marty's shoulder and he froze for a moment before relaxing again.

He couldn't help but find it funny that after all those years of being into her, the only time he'd ever been able to hold her hand was in the face of danger. His face reddened as he thought back to the kiss earlier. Pushing aside the thought, he turned to Dana.

"Well it's now or never- we have to move quick before I start doubting what we're about to do."


End file.
